杏吧原创

鈥淚 GUESS I鈥檓 a success story,鈥� says Paul Yates, who since May has worked at , a small company based in Norwich. For the previous 17 years, Yates had worked at the (FSS), the main provider of forensic expertise to the police forces in England and Wales. In December 2010, it was announced that the service would be wound down by March 2012 and its 1500 staff made redundant. The government-owned company had lost a number of significant contracts and was apparently losing 拢2 million a month.

Having worked for a long time at the FSS, Yates was fearful that he wouldn鈥檛 be able to do anything else: 鈥淚 had been working within what I considered to be the rather specialised world of criminal justice.鈥� But his worries were unfounded. 鈥淚 found that my skill set and experience was in fact precisely what this private company was looking for,鈥� he says.

鈥淢y skill set and experience was exactly what this small, private company was looking for鈥�

Despite the head of research and development at the FSS, Gillian Tully, telling the in March that around 90 per cent of the 300 or so staff in the three FSS centres that have already shut 鈥渉ave left the profession completely鈥�, it is not all bad news. Those deciding to stay in the industry have found new opportunities open to them.

In fact, there are several reasons for FSS employees and forensic science graduates to be optimistic. After all, crime is here to stay so the forensic science workload is not going to diminish. Police forces and the criminal justice system still need forensic work carried out 鈥� it is more a question of redistributing the work among the remaining providers.

Many former FSS staff are being recruited by smaller companies, such as , the largest of the privately owned providers with offices across the UK, and , based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Steve Allen, managing director of LGC Forensics, said earlier this year that the firm aimed to increase its workforce by between 50 and 100 per cent. 鈥淲e have been gearing up to support the substantial increase in our workload,鈥� he told New 杏吧原创. 鈥淲e have been actively recruiting at all levels and expect to see a significant increase in the number of forensic scientists we employ.鈥�

尝辞苍诲辞苍鈥檚 is also likely to snap up some FSS staff as part of its recruitment drive. 鈥淲e have small labs of our own where we do some evidence recovery, and we intend to expand our capability to include specialist scientists who can deal with a wider range of serious cases,鈥� says Gary Pugh, the Met鈥檚 director of forensic services.

In an attempt to use resources more efficiently, the Met also plans to 鈥渋mplement more effective case management鈥� that will form closer ties with the criminal justice system. 鈥淭o put it crudely,鈥� says Pugh, 鈥渞ather than just seizing all the material at the crime scene, putting it in bags and sending it off to the lab with a vague instruction of 鈥榝orensicate it!鈥�, the new approach will take a much more focused and prioritised way of looking at crime-scene exhibits and examining the ones that are most relevant.鈥�

Change of direction

There are other opportunities too. 鈥淪ome people who have been working in the FSS for years have taken [its closure] as an opportunity to diversify,鈥� says Laura Walton, a lecturer and careers adviser in the forensics and crime scene department at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent. 鈥淪ome are moving into academia, which is brilliant for universities as it gives us a really close link to what is actually going on in forensic science.鈥�

Graduates are also in a good position. 鈥淕raduates can be trained to work exactly how you want,鈥� says Walton. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have preconceived ideas about operating procedures. They are fresh-faced, enthusiastic, willing to relocate and, frankly, they come in at a lower wage bracket. There is definitely a good market for graduates out there.鈥�

One thing that any forensics professional or budding professional can do in today鈥檚 uncertain times is to make use of the additional educational and networking opportunities that being a member of their professional body offers. Ann Priston, president of the , says the society has seen an increase in professional membership since the FSS closure was announced. She recommends forensic scientists looking for work attend the society鈥檚 in November.

Priston agrees that the employment level for graduates is high right now and it is a sentiment echoed by Leon Barron, who teaches a master鈥檚 course in forensic science at King鈥檚 College London. 鈥淒espite the FSS closing, a lot of our graduates are securing jobs,鈥� he says. A year after his students have completed the course, Barron estimates that 80 per cent are employed, with another 10 per cent doing a PhD. By the standards of any industry, those numbers are reasons to be cheerful.

For students considering a career in forensic science, the advice from those in the know is consistent: you don鈥檛 need an undergraduate degree in forensics to be a forensic scientist. 鈥淚t is worthwhile studying for a good science degree rather than a forensic specific one, ensuring fall-back options,鈥� says Lindsay Lennen, a homicide team leader at LGC鈥檚 lab in Culham, Oxfordshire. Walton agrees: 鈥淚f you鈥檝e done a degree with a lot of chemistry or biology, you have a wide range of career options beyond forensic science.鈥�

Employers do look for formal training though, says Barron, so once you have the basic science skills down, apply for one of the many forensic science postgraduate courses out there to learn the more niche aspects of the role. He says employers are also looking to recruit people with industry experience and this is where outgoing FSS staff are particularly strong as 鈥渢hey would have accrued a lot of casework experience鈥�.

Which brings us back to Yates. How easy was the transition from a dominant organisation in the industry to a start-up which boasted a staff of just four when he joined? 鈥淵ou鈥檙e immediately moved out of your comfort zone because you鈥檙e suddenly in the heart of things, and you no longer have this big pool of people that you can rely on to do things for you,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 given me a different challenge.鈥�